


This is Halloween

by ddagent



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Romance, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:30:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8423698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: With the Director throwing a Halloween Party, Phil tries to get Melinda excited about the holiday.





	

**Author's Note:**

> anonymous prompted: "The Director throws a Halloween party to promote team bonding. Phil shows up as a pirate (or Luke Skywalker?), hook hand and all. What does Melinda go as?" 
> 
> This prompt massively got away from me but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. Happy Halloween!

Halloween had always been one of his favourite holidays. Sure the Fourth of July had fireworks and hot dogs. Yes he loved snow and decorations and a good glass of eggnog. But Halloween was _special._ As a child, he’d dressed up in his hand-stitched _Captain America_ outfit and headed out trick-or-treating with his mom. He’d then come home, bag stuffed with candy, and gorge himself with his dad in front of old black and white movies. 

Over the years, the traditions had changed. But his love of Halloween had never wavered. 

This year, the new Director was throwing a Halloween party in the Playground to boost _morale_ and promote _teamwork._ There were promises of apple bobbing, a costume contest, and even a house of horrors which would no doubt be a ton of cobwebs and fake blood in one of the unused areas of the base. Despite his growing animosity with Jeffery, Phil was still excited to attend. There had always been a mission, an emergency, the last couple of years. But this year he was _free._ He was even going in costume. 

Phil had just finished applying the last of his makeup when he heard footsteps approach. The door opened, Melinda rubbing her shoulder blades as she entered. She took one look at him and rolled her eyes. “You’re getting makeup all over my desk.”

“Sorry! But just wait, the effect will be worth it. Close you eyes.”

“Phil-”

“Close your eyes!”

Melinda stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed and arms crossed as she waited for him to make the finishing touches. He double checked the eyeliner, before shrugging on the elaborate coat and hat he’d picked up at the costume shop. The last touch was the hooked hand. _Perfect._ “Okay, open them!”

Her eyes snapped open. Melinda just stood, eyebrows raised. “You’re a pirate.”

“Undead pirate _king,_ to be exact.” Phil examined himself in the full length mirror, tugging at the lapels of the heavy jacket. The bone white makeup and dark circles under his eyes gave him a ghostly appearance. The dull metal hook, made by Fitz himself, completed the look. “I have a feeling I’m going to win first prize, May.” 

Despite his enthusiasm, his partner didn’t seem that impressed. She tugged off her jacket and crawled atop her bed. “First prize for what?”

Phil stopped, stunned. He turned, crossing his arms across his pirate coat. “First prize for Mace’s Halloween costume contest? We talked about the party last week; you agreed that you’d come with me.”

“I remember. I just didn’t think you’d be wearing a costume.”

“I _always_ wear a costume. Come on, back at the Academy we always used to dress up together. Remember the year we went as Count Dracula and Van Helsing? And the year we went as zombie cadets and scared the instructors?” Phil crossed over the room to join Melinda by her bed. He perched on the side of her mattress. “You used to _love_ Halloween. What happened?”

Melinda shrugged. “I grew up, I guess.” 

“You were still pulling pranks even when you were _married_. Your house was so covered in cobwebs I thought you’d forgotten to clean for a _year_.” 

Despite his recall of past events, Melinda did not seem any more excited about the holiday then when she’d entered. Phil didn’t know what had happened. Melinda _loved_ Halloween. She always planned their costumes; always pulled the most elaborate pranks. Even the one year he’d been injured for Halloween, she’d brought him candy and cheered him up dressed as an otherworldly faerie; basque, stockings and all. Now that they were in a relationship, he’d thought that this year would be the best Halloween yet. 

Melinda saw the disappointment etched into his features, and he felt her fingers curl around his. “I’ll still come with you. I’ll bob for apples and drink punch. I just don’t want to dress up.” 

“May, _please._ For me?”

May sighed. “ _Fine._ I’ll just wear my uniform. I’ll go as a shield agent.” 

The year she’d got her first apartment, May had decorated it from floor to ceiling. She’d spent two weeks painting fake limbs to make sure they looked realistic. He couldn’t understand how she had lost her love of Halloween. “I’m sure you can do a little better than that.” 

“I can go like this and be The Cavalry?” He threw her a look. “I don’t understand why you’re so desperate for me to go in costume.”

“Because I thought it would be something we could do _together._ I’ve been out on so many missions, we’re barely spent any time together since...” _Since we said ‘I love you’ and decided to give this a shot._  “When I realised I would be rotated here for Halloween, I got really excited. I though it would be fun if we dressed up, maybe danced a little. Scared Fitz in the house of horrors. Like old times.”

Melinda’s smiled softly at him. “ _Okay._ I have an idea. Go wait outside, it won’t me take long.”

Phil _beamed._ He stole a kiss before he left her to her own devices. He was fully expecting her to come back out with a pair of devil horns, or a set of vampire teeth in her mouth. Instead, when Melinda opened the door, Phil couldn’t help but burst out laughing. All that was visible of Melinda May was a set of dark boots and her shining eyes. The rest was covered by a large white sheet with two holes cut in it. 

“ _Boo._ ”

Phil pressed a kiss to Melinda’s lips through the thin fabric. It wasn’t a zombie queen, but she’d dressed up for him. “I love you.” 

“Love you too.”

They walked together through the empty corridor towards the rec room. As they approached the communal areas of the base, more and more people were in costume. There were a couple of vampires, a werewolf...Phil was pretty sure that he’d put that swamp thing in the Fridge a couple of decades ago. A few people starred at him and May. Not that anyone would say anything. Even without the ghost costume, Melinda May was still the scariest thing on the base. 

As they finally made their way into the party, Phil gasped. The entire room had been transformed: cobwebs hung from the ceiling; there were bats and spooky paper chains. A motion activated skeleton arm swung out at them as they passed. _Monster Mash_ was playing on the stereo. 

“This is _great.”_ Phil beamed at Melinda. “Isn’t this great?” 

“The pumpkins look good.”

At the refreshments table there were a number of expertly carved pumpkins and a giant one with the SHIELD logo carved into the front. They walked over, admiring the skill. Phil then ladled them both a glass of punch. He took a gulp, coughing at the sudden and overwhelming taste of vodka. “The party started half hour ago, how has someone spiked the punch already?”

Melinda’s white sheet bulged as she took a drink underneath the material. “I’m starting to like this party.” 

Despite the spiked punch and the high school auditorium feel, it was looking to be a good night. “I’m glad you came.” 

“I was always coming. I know how much Halloween means to you.”

Halloween used to mean a lot to _both_ of them. William May had shown him pictures once of a young Melinda dressed up as a figure skater, knocking door to door in search of peanut butter candies. He’d also shown him the photograph of Melinda getting arrested for egging a bully’s house at fifteen. Phil still couldn’t work out why Melinda’s attitude had changed so much. 

Taking another sip of punch, Phil glanced around the party. Nathanson was dressed as a zombie. Piper had gone as Batgirl: cape, mask and all. Swinging through the party, talking to everyone, was Simmons; elegantly dressed up as the Bride of Frankenstein. She even had a white streak spray-painted in her hair. She grinned wildly when she saw the two of them, immediately wrapping up her conversation with Davis to join them by the punch bowl. 

“Agent Coulson you look _wonderful_!” Simmons looked at the detail of his coat before examining the hook Fitz had made him. “Oh Fitz really did a fantastic job on that. You make a _very scary_ pirate king. And Agent May! You’re a ghost!”

“ _Boo_.”

Simmons faltered for a moment, but her smile remained bright. “I’m so happy that everyone is dressing up. I honestly thought that no one would even bother. But people seem to be having such a wonderful time!”

Phil nodded. “It seems like everyone is in the party _spirit.”_

Simmons smile became more pained, and Phil heard a snort of derision from his left. “Yes. _Party spirit._ You should check out the house of horrors; Fitz outdid himself.”

“We’re looking forward to it.”

“It’s really quite impressive. Although, _apparently,_ an agent said that it wasn’t as impressive as the one a cadet built at the Academy many years ago. I still think there’s a little rivalry between Operations and Science and Technology, even after all this time.” 

Phil just bobbed his head, not providing Simmons with further detail about the Academy haunted house. Melinda, covered with a white sheet, just stared blankly ahead. The house, used in training for secure entries and rescue ops, had been transformed into a sickening house of horrors. Freshman cadets dressed up like zombies, a couple of live rats had been let loose, and there was a room where second years grabbed your ankles, Phil had never been so terrified in his entire life. That, and her senior prank on November 1st, had made Melinda a _legend._

Yet behind the white sheet, Melinda offered nothing. “I’m sure Fitz has done a good job.” 

“More than a good job!” Phil felt May stiffen beside him as Jefferey, cape and vampire fangs and all, swung into their conversation. “I just came from there. It’s _spooktacular._ This is going to be one _hell_ of a party.” 

All three of them offered Mace nothing more than polite smiles. Thankfully it was Simmons who broke the tension with a question. “Any news on your office?” 

“Just cosmetic damage.” Jeffery paused, turning to Phil and Melinda to explain the situation. “Someone took my idea of a Halloween party a _little_ too far and decided to prank me! Toilet paper in my office; a couple of eggs against my window. They even put my pens in a block of ice!”

Phil jerked his head towards Melinda, who appeared impassive under her white sheet. “Surely there are cameras in your office.”

“There is, but the little prank artist redirected the feed. Don’t worry, we’ll work out their identity soon enough.”

Phil took a sip of his punch, smiling at both Mace and Simmons. “I’m sure you will. May, would you like to dance?”

“Sure.”

Another painful grin. “Great. If you’ll excuse us.”

Taking the hand of his ghostly girlfriend, Phil led Melinda out onto the space doubling as a dance floor. He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close as they began to dance to an old Stevie Wonder track. A few other couples were jiving on the floor, enough for them not to be the centre of attention. As the beat kicked up, Phil pressed his mouth close to Melinda’s ear. 

“You know, my memory isn’t as good as it used to be. I thought you used to be incredibly into Halloween. I was pretty sure that freezing pens, pencils, even _SHIELD badges_ in a block of ice was your trademark. Guess I was mistaken.”

He imagined Melinda was glaring at him through the white sheet. “Guess you were.”

Phil returned that glare. He wasn’t about to be fobbed off. He knew the truth. “ _You teepeed the Director’s office_.”

“ _He had it coming_. After everything he’s put us through, putting his pens in a block of ice was the least I should do.” Melinda’s eyes sparkled behind the sheet. “I also spiked the punch.”

Phil glanced towards the refreshment table. She’d come straight from a meeting with Mack to her room to here. “How is that even possible?”

“I’m a ghost, remember?”

Phil shook his head, but was unable to keep the smile from his face. Melinda hadn’t lost her love of Halloween. She was just keeping herself in check so she wouldn’t be outed as Mace’s prankster. After all, who would expect Melinda May? Quiet, professional Agent May who had barely made an effort for the Halloween party she had no doubt been forced to attend by her enthusiastic partner. 

“Well played, May, well played.” Phil liked to imagine she was smiling at him underneath that white sheet. “You could have told me, you know, instead of making me think you hated Halloween.”

A shrug. “Simmons is getting good at lie detecting. I wanted you to have plausible deniability.” 

“I understand. So does this mean you have a _real_ costume underneath that sheet?”

A nod. “Plus a whole bowl of candy and _Nosferatu_ back in our room.”

 _Our room._ He’d never thought about it like that before. He was simply crashing with Melinda during his current rotation. But it was _their room._ Suddenly the party lost all its appeal. He wanted to curl up with Melinda and eat their weight in chocolate whilst they watched old black and white movies. It was how they had always finished their Halloween celebrations. Only this year they would wake up in November together.

“How about we share another couple of dances, then go visit the house of horrors before going back to _our room.”_

 _“_ Sounds good to me.” 

Phil couldn’t stop smiling at Melinda. He loved her so much. “So, are you going to tell me what you've really come as, or do I have to guess?”

“Remember that year you were injured and we couldn’t go out?”

He gulped. Basque, stockings, dark lipstick and faerie wings. He’d never been so grateful to break his leg in all his life. “I do.”

“I decided to go as a faerie again.” Melinda’s dark eyes held his. “I left my wings  back in the room though.” 

“ _Then we should go get them_.” 

They could dance, drink punch, get scared by Fitz later in the evening. But Melinda was improperly dressed for Halloween, and Phil would _not_ let that stand. Grabbing her hand, he tugged her through the party goers and out into the hall. They barely made it back to their room before he was tossing the white sheet over her head and she was undoing the laces of his costume pants. As they made their way back towards their bed, Phil was determined to make Melinda scream _._

After all, it _was_ Halloween.


End file.
